Agricultural agitating and leveling system

ABSTRACT

A particulate material sensing and agitation control system of an agricultural system having a drive system configured to operate an agitating system, and a controller having a memory and a processor. The controller is configured to receive at least one sensor signal indicative of a profile of a particulate material within the agricultural system, and output a control signal to instruct the drive system to operate the agitating system in a selected operating mode of a plurality of operating modes based on the profile of the particulate material. The agitating system is configured to interact with the particulate material in each operating mode of the plurality of operating modes, and the plurality of operating modes includes an agitation mode and a leveling mode.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to an agitating and levelingsystem for an agricultural system.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects ofart that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure,which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed tobe helpful in providing the reader with background information tofacilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statementsare to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

Generally, agricultural seeding implements are towed behind a workvehicle, such as a tractor. These implements may contain a particulatematerial, such as seeds, fertilizer, and/or other agricultural product,which is distributed on or in the ground using various methods. Certainimplementations include a storage tank in which the particulate materialis stored and a metering system configured to meter the particulatematerial from the storage tank. The particulate material is distributedfrom the metering system to row units, which are configured todistribute the particulate material on or in the ground.

As the storage tank is filled with the particulate material and/or whilethe particulate material flows from the storage tank to the meteringsystem, the particulate material may create an undesirable profilewithin the storage tank. Several factors may contribute to thisundesirable profile, including, but not limited to, friction between theparticulate material and the storage tank, clumping of the particulatematerial, operation of the implement on a slope, and an inactive portionor inactive portions of the metering system. This undesirable profilemay lead to uneven flow to the metering system, which may cause anunwanted distribution or no distribution of the particulate materialover and/or within certain regions of a field. As a result, the cropyield within these regions may be reduced, thereby reducing theefficiency of the seeding process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the disclosed subjectmatter are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended to limitthe scope of the disclosure, but rather these embodiments are intendedonly to provide a brief summary of certain disclosed embodiments.Indeed, the present disclosure may encompass a variety of forms that maybe similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.

In certain embodiments, a particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system of an agricultural system includes a drive systemconfigured to operate an agitating system, and a plurality of sensors,in which each sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to detectpresence of particulate material at the sensor. The particulate materialsensing and agitation control system further includes a controllerhaving a memory and a processor, in which the controller is configuredto determine a functional status of each sensor of the plurality ofsensors, and, in response to determining the functional status of arespective sensor of the plurality of sensor is functioning, determine adetection status of the respective sensor. The controller is alsoconfigured to output a control signal to instruct the drive system tooperate the agitating system in a selected operating mode of a pluralityof operating modes based on a position within the agricultural system,the functional status, and the detection status of each sensor of theplurality of sensors.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of an agricultural system havingan agricultural implement coupled to an air cart, in accordance with anaspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a particulate materialsensing and agitation control system that may be employed within the aircart of FIG. 1, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system of FIG. 2 with particulate materialdisposed therein, in which the particulate material has a profile withan approximately even level, in accordance with an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the material sensing andagitation control system of FIG. 2 with particulate material disposedtherein, in which the particulate material has a profile with asymmetrically uneven level, in accordance with an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system of FIG. 2 with particulate materialdisposed therein, in which a profile of the particulate material isskewed to cover sensors of a side of the particulate material sensingand agitation control system, in accordance with an aspect of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system of FIG. 2 with particulate materialdisposed therein, in which a profile of the particulate material isskewed to cover one sensor on one side of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system, in accordance with an aspect ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system of FIG. 2 with particulate materialdisposed therein, in which a profile of the particulate material may notcover any of the sensors of the particulate material sensing andagitation control system, in accordance with an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a particulate materialsensing and agitation control system having a control system, inaccordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method to control aparticulate material sensing and agitation control system while theparticulate material sensing and agitation control system is meteringparticulate material and all sensors of the particulate material sensingand agitation control system are functioning, in accordance with anaspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method to control aparticulate material sensing and agitation control system while theparticulate material sensing and agitation control system is meteringparticulate material and not all sensors of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system are functioning, in accordance withan aspect of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method to control aparticulate material sensing and agitation control system to operate ina door-dump mode while the particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system is not metering particulate material, in accordance withan aspect of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed below. In an effort to provide a concise description of theseembodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not bedescribed in the specification. It should be appreciated that in thedevelopment of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering ordesign project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be madeto achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance withsystem-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from oneimplementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that sucha development effort might be complex and time consuming, but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, andmanufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of thisdisclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended tomean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean thatthere may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Anyexamples of operating parameters and/or environmental conditions are notexclusive of other parameters/conditions of the disclosed embodiments.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to agricultural systemshaving a particulate material sensing and agitation control system.Certain agricultural systems (e.g., air carts, implements, etc.) containa particulate material (e.g., seeds, fertilizer, and/or otheragricultural products) within a storage tank of the agricultural system.The agricultural system is configured to distribute the particulatematerial within a field. The particulate material may flow from thestorage tank through a metering system, which is configured to controlthe flow of the particulate material to the field. As the storage tankis filled with the particulate material and/or as the particulatematerial flows from the storage tank through the metering system, theprofile of the particulate material within the storage tank may change,which may affect a manner in which the particulate material movesthrough the metering system. For example, the profile of the particulatematerial may reduce a flow rate of particulate material through themetering system. As such, the distribution of the particulate materialwithin the field may be limited or undesirable.

Accordingly, the agricultural system may include a particulate materialsensing and agitation control system configured to monitor the profileof the particulate material and adjust the profile of the particulatematerial. As an example, the particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system may agitate the particulate material to induce movementof the particulate material through the metering system. Additionally oralternatively, the particulate material sensing and agitation controlsystem may be configured to drive a portion of the particulate materialtoward one side to create a desirable profile of the particulatematerial. As such, the particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system may maintain a flow rate of particulate material throughthe metering system to maintain a desirable distribution of particulatematerial onto the field.

In some embodiments, the particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system may be configured to operate in different operating modesbased on the profile of the particulate material. In one example, theparticulate material sensing and agitation control system may beconfigured to operate in a symmetric mode configured to maintain theprofile of the particulate material. In another example, the particulatematerial sensing and agitation control system may be configured tooperate in a biasing mode configured to drive the particulate materialtoward one side. Further still, the particulate material sensing andagitation control system may be configured to operate in a door-dumpmode to distribute particulate material throughout a storage tank whileparticulate material is loaded or after particulate material has beenloaded into the storage tank via a door of the storage tank.

The particulate material sensing and agitation control system describedherein may be installed in both new and existing agricultural systems.The particulate material sensing and agitation control system mayinclude one or more sensors configured to detect the profile of theparticulate material. Furthermore, the particulate material sensing andagitation control system may include a controller and an agitatingsystem. In certain embodiments, the controller may be communicativelycoupled to both the sensor(s) and the agitating system. Thus, based onfeedback from the sensor(s), the controller may operate the agitatingsystem in a mode determined based on sensor feedback, in which theagitation system is controlled based on the mode.

With the foregoing in mind, the present embodiments relating toparticulate material sensing and agitation control systems may beutilized within any suitable agricultural system. To help illustrate,FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of an agricultural system 8having an agricultural implement 10 coupled to an air cart 12. Asdepicted, the agricultural implement 10 includes a tool frame 14 coupledto a header 15, a row unit 16 having a particulate material tube 17 andan opener 18, and wheel assemblies 20. The agricultural implement 10 maybe pulled by a work vehicle (e.g., a tractor) to deposit rows ofparticulate material (e.g., agricultural product) within the soil.Accordingly, the wheel assemblies 20 may contact the soil surface toenable the agricultural implement 10 to be pulled by the work vehicle.As the agricultural implement 10 is pulled, a row of the particulatematerial may be deposited in the soil by the row unit 16 (e.g., groundengaging opener assembly). Although only one row unit 16 is shown, theagricultural implement 10 may include multiple row units 16 (e.g.,organized in a row across the agricultural implement 10). In someembodiments, the agricultural implement 10 may include a row of 12, 14,16, 18, 20, or more row units 16, which may each deposit a respectiverow of particulate material into the soil.

To facilitate depositing the particulate material, each row unit 16(e.g., ground engaging opener assembly) may include a press wheel 21.While the opener 18 engages the soil 23, the opener 18 exerts a forcethat excavates a trench into the soil 23 as the row unit 16 travelsacross the soil 23. The particulate material may be deposited into theexcavated trench via the particulate material tube 17. Then, the presswheel 21 may pack soil onto the deposited particulate material. Incertain embodiments, the press wheel may not directly be a part of therow unit. Instead, for example, at least one press wheel may be mountedto the frame of the implement behind the at least one row unit.Furthermore, while the illustrated row unit includes a ground engagingopener assembly, in alternative embodiments, at least one row unit onthe implement may include an applicator assembly configured to depositparticulate material onto the surface of the field, or any othersuitable type of product deposition assembly.

The header 15 may provide the particulate material to the row units 16.In some embodiments, the header 15 may pneumatically distribute theparticulate material from a primary line to secondary lines. In theillustrated embodiment, a primary line 25 directs particulate materialfrom the air cart 12 to the header 15. Additionally, the header 15 isconfigured to distribute the particulate material to the row units 16via respective secondary lines 22. In certain embodiments, multipleprimary lines may direct particulate material to multiple headers.Moreover, multiple secondary lines may extend from each header torespective row units. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, at least onesecondary line may extend to a secondary header, and multiple tertiarylines may extend from the secondary header to respective row units.

In the depicted embodiment, the air cart 12 is towed behind theagricultural implement 10. For example, the agricultural implement 10may be coupled to the work vehicle by a first hitch assembly, and theair cart 12 may be coupled to the agricultural implement 10 by a secondhitch assembly 24. However, in other embodiments, the agriculturalimplement may be towed behind the air cart. In further embodiments, theagricultural implement and the air cart may be part of a single unitthat is towed behind the work vehicle, or may be elements of aself-propelled vehicle.

The air cart 12 may centrally store particulate material and distributethe particulate material to the header 15. Accordingly, as depicted, theair cart 12 includes three primary storage tanks 26, 28, and 30, an aircart frame 32, an air source 33, and wheels 34. Further, the air cart 12includes an auxiliary or secondary storage tank 36, a fill hopper 38, anair supply 40, and product conveyance conduits 42. The second hitchassembly 24 is coupled between the tool frame 14 and the air cart frame32, which enables the air cart 12 to be towed with the agriculturalimplement 10. Further, the fill hopper 38 enables an operator to fillthe secondary storage tank 36. Accordingly, the fill hopper 38 islocated on a side of the air cart 12 and at a level above the soil 23that facilitates access by the operator (e.g., from ground level or froma bed of a truck). For example, an opening of the fill hopper 38, whichreceives the particulate material, may be located less than 5 feet (1.5meters) above the ground. At this height, the operator may load the fillhopper 38 from ground level or from a truck bed, for example. Thesecondary storage tank 36 may be loaded by another suitable system inaddition to or instead of via the fill hopper, air supply 40, andproduct conveyance conduits 42. For example, the secondary storage tank36 may include a door as described below that may be opened by theoperator to load the secondary storage tank 36 directly with particulatematerial.

Additionally, the agricultural system 8 may include a particulatematerial sensing and agitation control system 37 to control movement ofthe particulate material within a storage tank. For purposes ofdiscussion, this disclosure primarily refers to the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system 37 as being located in thesecondary storage tank 36 to control movement of the particulatematerial in the secondary storage tank 36. However, a particulatematerial sensing and agitation control system may be located in at leastone of the primary storage tanks 26, 28, 30 (e.g., in addition to orinstead of the particulate material sensing and agitation control systemin the secondary storage tank) to control movement of the particulatematerial in the primary storage tank(s).

The primary storage tanks 26, 28, and 30, and the secondary storage tank36 may store the particulate material (e.g., seeds, granular fertilizer,granular inoculants, etc.). In some embodiments, the primary storagetanks 26, 28, and 30 may each include a single large storage compartmentfor storing a single agricultural product. In certain embodiments, theprimary storage tanks may each store a different agricultural product.For example, the first primary storage tank 26 may store legume seeds,and the second primary storage tank 28 may store a dry fertilizer.Additionally, in this example, the secondary storage tank 36 may storegranular inoculants, which are planted in conjunction with the legumeseeds. In such configurations, the air cart 12 may deliver seed,fertilizer, and inoculant to the agricultural implement 10 via separateprimary lines, or as a mixture through a single primary line.

Further, as illustrated, the secondary storage tank 36 is positionedbeneath portions of the primary storage tanks 26 and 28. To improvestorage capacity of the secondary storage tank 36, upper walls 41 of thesecondary storage tank 36 have slopes that substantially correspond torespective slopes of bottom portions 43 of the primary storage tanks 26and 28. Therefore, the shape of the secondary storage tank 36 enablesthe secondary storage tank 36 to utilize a substantial portion of thespace between the primary storage tanks 26 and 28. Similarly, in analternative embodiment, the secondary storage tank may be positionedbetween the primary storage tanks 28 and 30.

The particulate material may be fed from the secondary storage tank 36through the particulate material sensing and agitation control system 37into a metering system 45, which meters the particulate material,fluidizes the particulate material via a fluidizing airflow from the airsource 33, and distributes the particulate material to the header 15 viathe primary line 25. In some embodiments, the air source 33 may be oneor more pumps and/or blowers powered by electric or hydraulic motor(s),for example. The particulate material sensing and agitation controlsystem 37 may be positioned at the bottom of the secondary storage tank36 and above the metering system 45, and may be configured to facilitatemovement of the particulate material into the metering system 45 fromthe secondary storage tank 36. For example, the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system 37 may break up clumped sections ofparticulate material to enable the particulate material to flow to themetering system 45.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a particulate materialsensing and agitation control system 37 that may be employed within theair cart 12 of FIG. 1. The particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system 37 includes an agitating system 44 positioned above themetering system 45. As illustrated, the metering system 45 includesmultiple seed meters 46 supported by a frame 47. The metering system 45may include 1 to 10, or more than 10 (e.g., 15), seed meters 46. In theillustrated embodiment, each seed meter 46 includes at least onerespective metering device 48 (e.g., meter roller) to control flow ofparticulate material to a respective conduit. Each seed meter 46 alsoincludes an inlet 49 configured to receive the particulate material fromthe agitating system 44 (e.g., along a vertical axis 56). Furthermore,each seed meter 46 includes a first conduit connector 50 and a secondconduit connector 51. Each conduit connector 50, 51 is configured toreceive air flow from the air source and the particulate material fromthe metering device 48, thereby producing the air/material mixture.First primary conduits may be coupled to the first conduit connectors 50and second primary conduits may be coupled to the second conduitconnectors 51. Furthermore, the metering system 45 may include a gatethat enables selection of the first conduit connector 50 or the secondconduit connector 51. Once the first conduit connector 50 or the secondconduit connector 51 is selected, particulate material flows through theselected conduit connector 50, 51. The primary conduits may be coupledto respective headers that provide particulate material to multiple rowunits.

The illustrated embodiment includes a sub-hopper 64, which may beconsidered a part of the secondary storage tank. The sub-hopper 64 issecured to the metering system 45 (e.g., the frame 47 of the meteringsystem 45) by fasteners 65 disposed through holes 67, 69 of thesub-hopper 64. The first holes 67 are generally aligned along a lengthof the sub-hopper 64 along a longitudinal axis 58, and the second holes69 are arranged along a width of the sub-hopper 64 along a lateral axis57. The sub-hopper 64 also includes third holes 68 configured to receivefasteners for securing the sub-hopper 64 to a structure of the secondarystorage tank or another portion of the agricultural system (e.g., theair cart). Additionally or alternatively, the sub-hopper may be coupledto the frame and the secondary storage tank by other suitable devices,such as welds, tabs, and the like.

Generally, the particulate material may flow downwardly through thesecondary storage tank 36 to the metering system 45 via the agitatingsystem 44. That is, the particulate material may flow through thesub-hopper 64 into the inlets 49 of the seed meters 46. In someembodiments, the particulate material may pass through other features ofthe agricultural system (e.g., of the air cart) before entering themetering system 45.

In the illustrated embodiment, the agitating system 44 includes sensors60. As illustrated, three sensors 60 are placed along a wall of thesub-hopper 64 (e.g., along the longitudinal axis 58). However, more orfewer sensors may be employed in alternative embodiments. For example,certain embodiments may include 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or moresensors. Each of the sensors 60 is configured to detect a presence ofparticulate material at the location or position of the respectivesensor. As such, the sensors 60 may determine a profile of particulatematerial disposed in the sub-hopper 64 and/or the secondary storage tank36 before, during, and/or after operation of the agricultural system 8.A variety of sensor(s), such as ultrasonic sensor(s), electrostaticsensor(s), inductive sensor(s), capacitive sensor(s), Light Detectionand Ranging (LIDAR) sensor(s), and/or other suitable sensor(s) may beused alone or in combination with one another to determine the profileof the particulate material. The sensor(s) may also include one or morecameras disposed in the sub-hopper 64 and/or secondary storage tank 36,in which the camera(s) may be configured to detect the profile.Additionally or alternatively, one or more sensor(s) may be disposedhigher in the particulate material sensing and agitation control systemor above the particulate material sensing and agitation control system(e.g., along the vertical axis 56). As illustrated in FIG. 2, thesensors 60 are aligned in a row above the agitating system 44. However,the sensors may be disposed in other suitableconfigurations/arrangements in the particulate material sensing andagitation control system and/or secondary storage tank.

An agitator 63 of the agitating system 44 is disposed within thesub-hopper 64 and extends along the longitudinal axis 58 in an areabelow the sensors 60 along the vertical axis 56. In certain embodiments,the agitating system may be mounted higher in the secondary storage tankrelative to the sub-hopper. For example, the agitating system may bedisposed above the sub-hopper, such as within the structure of thesecondary storage tank. As the particulate material rests in thesecondary storage tank, the particulate material may clump together toform pieces that are larger than desired (e.g., larger than the openingsof the inlets 49). When the particulate material flows through theagitating system 44 (e.g., while the agitating system 37 is operating),the clumps of particulate material break into smaller pieces moresuitable for flowing through the metering system 45.

The agitator 63 includes a shaft 70 coupled to a drive system 72, andthe agitator 63 includes an agitator coil 74 coupled to the shaft 70. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the agitator coil 74 is wrapped around theshaft 70 and is configured to enable the particulate material to flowbetween the shaft 70 and the agitator coil 74. Although this disclosureprimarily discusses the agitator coil 74 as wrapped in a helical form,in additional or alternative embodiments, the agitator coil may bewrapped in a cylindrical form, a conical form, another suitable form, orany combination thereof, around the shaft. Additionally oralternatively, the agitator may include fingers or protrusions thatextend from the shaft, in which movement of the fingers or protrusionsinduce movement of the particulate material. The agitator may include acertain configuration of fingers or protrusions, such as a concentration(e.g., a number per unit length) of fingers or protrusions, a length ofeach finger or protrusion, a shape of each finger or protrusion, aposition of the fingers or protrusions, and so forth, that may varyalong the length of the shaft. Furthermore, there may be more than oneagitator coil coupled to the shaft at different locations along thelength of the shaft. In the illustrated embodiment, the agitator 63 mayrotate to move particulate material in the sub-hopper 64 and/or thesecondary storage tank. The agitator 63 may be configured to rotate ineither direction to move the particulate material toward eachlongitudinal side of the sub-hopper 64. In embodiments of the agitatingsystem having more than one agitator, multiple drives may be coupled torespective agitators (e.g., the shafts) to enable movement of eachagitator to be independently controllable. In certain embodiments, othertypes of agitators may be used in the agitating system. For example, anagitator may move linearly in the sub-hopper (e.g., along thelongitudinal axis 58) to move the particulate material.

The drive system 72 of the particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system 37 may be configured to drive the agitator 63 to rotate,such as via a motor (e.g., an electric motor, hydraulic motor, etc.). Inthe illustrated embodiment, the drive system 72 includes a single motordisposed at an end of the sub-hopper 64. However, additional oralternative embodiments of the drive system may include more than onemotor (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.). For example, the drive system mayinclude a motor disposed at each longitudinal end of the sub-hopper(e.g., along the longitudinal axis 58). The drive system may alsoinclude motor(s) disposed along the length of the sub-hopper. Motor(s)disposed along the length of the sub-hopper may be connected to theagitator and may be configured to drive the agitator. As the agitator 63turns, the agitator 63 drives the particulate material to move withinthe sub-hopper 64.

In the illustrated embodiment, the agitating system 44 includes a singleagitator 63. In certain embodiments, multiple agitators (e.g., 2, 3, 4,5, 6, 7, 8, etc.) may be disposed in the sub-hopper and/or the secondarystorage tank. The agitators may be disposed in series or in parallel. Ina configuration with more than one agitator, drive system(s) may driveonly a portion of the agitators or all of the agitators to move theparticulate material in one or more directions. Multiple agitators mayalso be disposed at different levels in the sub-hopper and/or secondarystorage tank. For example, one or more agitator(s) may be disposed inthe sub-hopper and one or more agitator(s) may be disposed higher in thesecondary storage tank.

In some embodiments, the agricultural system includes a controller 80that is communicatively coupled to the particulate material sensing andagitation control system 37. The controller 80 may control operation ofthe particulate material sensing and agitation control system 37, suchas rotation of the agitator 63 by controlling the drive system 72. Thecontroller 80 includes a processor 82 configured to execute softwarecode or instructions stored on a memory 84. Moreover, the controller 80is communicatively coupled to the sensors 60 and the drive system 72 toenable operation of the drive system 72 based on feedback from thesensors 60. The term “software code” or “code” used herein refers to anyinstructions or set of instructions that influence the operation of acomputer or controller. They may exist in a computer-executable form,such as machine code, which is the set of instructions and data directlyexecuted by a computer's central processing unit or by a controller, ahuman-understandable form, such as source code, which may be compiled inorder to be executed by a computer's central processing unit or by acontroller, or an intermediate form, such as object code, which isproduced by a compiler. As used herein, the term “software code” or“code” also includes any human-understandable computer instructions orset of instructions, e.g., a script, that may be executed on the flywith the aid of an interpreter executed by a computer's centralprocessing unit or by a controller.

As an example, the memory 84 may store processor-executable softwarecode or instructions (e.g., firmware or software), which are tangiblystored on a tangible computer readable medium. Additionally oralternatively, the memory 84 may store data (e.g., information regardingoperation of the particulate material sensing and agitation controlsystem 37). As an example, the memory 84 may include a volatile memory,such as random access memory (RAM), and/or a nonvolatile memory, such asread-only memory (ROM), flash memory, a hard drive, or any othersuitable optical, magnetic, or solid-state storage medium, or acombination thereof. Furthermore, the processor 82 may include multiplemicroprocessors, one or more “general-purpose” microprocessors, one ormore special-purpose microprocessors, and/or one or more applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICS), or some combination thereof. Forexample, the processor 82 may include one or more reduced instructionset (RISC) or complex instruction set (CISC) processors. The processor82 and/or memory 84, and/or an additional processor and/or memory, maybe located in any suitable portion of the agricultural system. Forinstance, a memory may be located in the drive system 72.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system 37 of FIG. 2 with particulatematerial 86 disposed therein, in which the particulate material 86 has aprofile with an approximately even level. That is, the particulatematerial may be disposed at various levels within the sub-hopper 64along the longitudinal axis 58, thereby establishing a particularprofile. In the illustrated embodiment, the particulate material 86extends from the secondary storage tank 36 to the sub-hopper 64 and theparticulate material 86 is approximately level in the secondary storagetank 36 such that the particulate material 86 is distributed across thesensors 60 along the longitudinal axis 58. However, during operation ofthe agricultural system, particulate material may be distributed in anuneven profile, such as above, partially above, below, or partiallybelow certain sensors 60.

The sensors 60 may determine the profile of the particulate material 86in the sub-hopper 64 and/or the secondary storage tank 36 based on theposition of the particulate material 86 as detected by the sensors 60.The profile is the shape of the top surface of the particulate material86 disposed in the sub-hopper 64 and/or the secondary storage tank 36and may be one-dimensional (e.g., along the longitudinal axis 58) ortwo-dimensional. Additionally, the profile may include a series oflevels in which each level spans a portion of the width of thesub-hopper 64 or the secondary storage tank 36. For example, each sensor60 may detect a presence of particulate material 86 in the sub-hopper 64and/or the secondary storage tank 36 proximate to the sensor 60. Basedon the number of sensors 60 that detect the presence of particulatematerial 86, the width of each level of the particulate material 86 maybe determined. In certain embodiments, the sensors 60 may becommunicatively coupled to the controller 80 and, thus, may outputsignals indicative of the detected levels of particulate material 86 tothe controller 80. The controller 80 may determine the profile ofparticulate material 86 based on the detected levels (e.g., by linearlyextrapolating the data points or by another suitable method).Alternatively, a single sensor may be used alone or in combination withother sensors to determine the profile of particulate material 86. Forexample, a single LIDAR sensor (e.g., mounted near a top portion of thesecondary storage tank 36) may be configured to determine the profile.Further still, instead of utilizing sensors configured to detect apresence of particulate material 86, the particulate material sensingand agitation control system may be configured to determine the profileof particulate material based on another operating parameter. Forexample, the particulate material sensing and agitation control systemmay be configured to monitor a load (e.g., weight) exerted by theparticulate material onto the secondary storage tank, the agitator,and/or the sub-hopper to determine the profile of particulate material.In additional or alternative embodiments, the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system may be configured to monitor atorque on a motor of the drive system to determine and/or facilitatedetermination of the profile.

With the determined profile, the controller 80 may determine anappropriate operating mode for the agitating system 44. For example, thecontroller 80 may be configured to operate the agitating system 44 indifferent operating modes. As used herein, an operating mode of theagitating system 44 refers to operating the agitating system 44 in aparticular manner to interact with the particulate material 86 withinthe sub-hopper 64 and/or secondary storage tank 36, such as to adjustthe profile of the particulate material 86 in the secondary storage tank36 and/or in the sub-hopper 64. For example, the controller 80 mayinstruct the agitating system 44 to operate in an agitation mode or aleveling mode.

Operating the agitating system 44 in the agitation mode directsparticulate material 86 from the secondary storage tank 36 to themetering system 45. For example, the agitating system 44 may break upclumps of the particulate material 86 to enable the particulate material86 to flow through the inlets of the metering system 45. In theagitation mode, the drive system 72 may be operated to limit aconsumption of energy while effectively inducing movement of theparticulate material 86 to flow from the secondary storage tank 36 tothe metering system 45.

Moreover, operating the agitating system 44 in the leveling mode causesthe agitator 63 to adjust the profile of the particulate material 86.For example, the agitating system 44 may be controlled to adjust thelevels of certain longitudinal sections of the profile of particulatematerial 86 (e.g., to adjust the amount of particulate material 86 inthe sections). In certain embodiments, the agitating system 44 mayoperate in different leveling modes based on the profile of theparticulate material 86. Each leveling mode may be configured to causethe agitating system 44 to adjust the profile of the particulatematerial 86 in a different way and/or to a different degree. Forexample, the leveling modes of the agitating system 44 may be selectedto control a rate and/or a direction of particulate material movementwithin the sub-hopper 64 and/or the secondary storage tank, therebycontrolling the profile of the particulate material 86 along thelongitudinal axis 58.

As discussed herein, the agitating system 44 may be configured tooperate in a particular operating mode based on the profile of theparticulate material 86, as determined based on feedback from thesensors 60. For example, the drive system 72 may operate the agitator 63based on the operating mode, and the operating mode may be selectedbased on which sensor(s) 60 detect particulate material 86. The profileof the particulate material 86 may change as the agitating system 44drives the particulate material 86 to move along the longitudinal axis58, and therefore, the operating mode of the agitating system 44 maydynamically change during operation of the agricultural system based onthe profile of particulate material 86, as determined by the particulatematerial sensing and agitation control system 37. In one example, thecontroller 80 may determine the profile of particulate material 86 isuneven based on feedback from the sensors 60. As such, the controller 80may operate the agitating system 44 in one of the leveling modes tolevel the profile of the particulate material 86. When the controller 80determines the profile of particulate material 86 is even, thecontroller 80 may change from operating the agitating system 44 in theleveling mode to operating the agitating system 44 in the agitationmode.

In both the agitation mode and the leveling modes, the drive system 72may rotate the agitator 63 in a first direction 92 and a seconddirection 93, in which rotating the agitator 63 may be considered anactive operation of the agitating system. By way of example, rotatingthe agitator 63 in the first direction 92 shifts a portion of theparticulate material 86 in a first longitudinal direction 88 along thelongitudinal axis 58. Additionally, rotating the agitator 63 in thesecond direction 93 shifts a portion of particulate material 86 in asecond longitudinal direction 90, opposite the first longitudinaldirection 88, along the longitudinal axis 58. In alternativeembodiments, rotating the agitator in the first direction shifts theparticulate material in the second longitudinal direction and rotatingthe agitator in the second direction shifts the particulate material inthe first longitudinal direction.

In certain embodiments, the drive system 72 may be configured toalternate between rotating the agitator 63 in the first direction 92 andthe second direction 93. For example, the drive system 72 may rotate theagitator 63 in the first direction 92 for a first time duration, andafter the first time duration has elapsed, the drive system 72 mayrotate the agitator 63 in the second direction 93 for a second timeduration. After the second time duration has elapsed, the drive system72 may rotate the agitator 63 in the first direction 92 again for thefirst time duration to restart the cycle. In this manner, the agitator63 may alternate between shifting a portion of the particulate material86 along the first longitudinal direction 88 and shifting a portion ofthe particulate material 86 along the second longitudinal direction 90.The first time duration and the second time duration may vary betweenthe different operating modes of the agitating system 44. Although thepresent disclosure discusses examples of certain first and second timedurations, various embodiments of the particulate material sensing andagitation control system may have different first and second timedurations. For example, the first and second time durations may be basedon a geometry of the agitator coil 74, a geometry of the secondarystorage tank 36, and/or an operating speed (e.g., rotational speed) ofthe agitator 63. Furthermore, in alternative embodiments, instead ofrotating the agitator between a first and second time duration, theagitator may be rotated a number of rotations. That is, the drive systemmay rotate the agitator a first number of rotations in the firstdirection and a second number of rotations in the second direction, inwhich the difference between the first number of rotations and thesecond number of rotations may be based on an operating mode of theagitating system. For example, the first number may be equal to thesecond number to maintain or distribute particulate material evenly inthe secondary storage tank and/or sub-hopper, while the first number maybe different from the second number in order to move particulatematerial to a side of the secondary storage tank and/or sub-hopper. Infurther embodiments, the agitator may be rotated based on otherparameters, such as a speed of the agitator, an amount of particulatematerial moved by the agitator, and the like, as based on the operatingmode of the agitating system.

Additionally, between rotating the agitator 63 in the first direction 92and in the second direction 93, the drive system 72 may be configured todeactivate operation of the agitator 63 and/or maintain a position ofthe agitator 63, which may be considered a dwell or inactive operationof the agitating system 44. As with the first time duration and thesecond time duration, the duration of the inactive operation (e.g., thedwell time) may vary for the different operating modes of the agitatingsystem 44. Furthermore, the dwell time may be based on certainparameter(s), such as a density of the particulate material 86 and/or anoperation of the metering system 45. Thus, a cycle of operation of theagitating system 44 includes driving the agitator 63 in the firstdirection 92 for the first time duration, suspending operation of theagitator 63 for a first dwell time, driving the agitator 63 in thesecond direction 93 for the second time duration, and suspendingoperation of the agitator 63 for a second dwell time that may be thesame or a different duration as the first dwell time. By alternatingbetween active and inactive operations, the drive system 72 may rotatethe agitator 63 enough to induce movement of the particulate material 86through the sub-hopper 64 or the secondary storage tank 36, while alsolimiting usage to reduce consumption of energy. While this disclosureprimarily discusses rotation of the agitating system 44, additionally oralternatively, the drive system may move the agitating system in adifferent manner (e.g., in the first and second longitudinal directions88, 90) in the operating modes of the agitating system. Moreover, whilethis disclosure primarily discusses that rotation speed of the agitatingsystem 44 in the first direction 92 is approximately the same rotationspeed of the agitating system 44 in the second direction 93, inadditional or alternative embodiments, rotation speed of the agitatingsystem 44 may vary in each direction 92, 93, such as based on theoperating mode of the agitating system 44.

In additional or alternative embodiments, the drive system may cause theagitator to alternate between blocks of first movement and secondmovement, with corresponding inactive operations between each activeoperation. For example, the drive system may rotate the agitator in thefirst direction for two consecutive iterations with an inactiveoperation in between, and then the drive system may rotate the agitatorin the second direction for two consecutive iterations with anotherinactive operation in between. The number of iterations for the firstmovement may be different from the number of iterations for the secondmovement, and the number of iterations and the duration of eachiteration may be based on the particular operating mode of the agitatingsystem 44.

In some embodiments, the secondary storage tank 36 may also include adoor 94 that may be opened to access inside of the secondary storagetank 36. For example, the operator may open the door 94 to loadparticulate material directly into the secondary storage tank 36. Whilethe operator is loading particulate material into the secondary storagetank 36, operation of the metering system 45 may be suspended ordeactivated to limit the amount of particulate material directed out ofthe secondary storage tank 36 (e.g., to the primary conduits), therebyenabling the particulate material to fill the secondary storage tank 36.Furthermore, the agitating system 44 may be operating in a door-dumpmode, in which the agitating system 44 is configured to distribute theparticulate material in the secondary storage tank 36 and/or thesub-hopper 64 as the particulate material is loaded into the secondarystorage tank 36. In certain implementations, the door-dump mode may beactivated upon activation of a door-dump switch, such as by the operatoror the controller. During the door-dump mode, the drive system 72 may beconfigured to rotate the agitator 63 in a single direction (e.g., thefirst direction 92) to move particulate material away from the door 94.That is, since particulate material may be loaded onto and fill thelongitudinal side of the secondary storage tank 36 proximate to the door94, the agitating system 44 may rotate to move the particulate materialaway from the door 94 and distribute the particulate material throughoutthe secondary storage tank 36 and the sub-hopper 64. However, inadditional or alternative embodiments, the drive system may beconfigured to move in both the first and the second directions duringoperation of the door-dump mode, such as based on a detection ofparticulate material via the sensors.

The agitating system 44 may operate the door-dump mode for a door-dumptime duration based on the determined profile of the particulatematerial 86 in the secondary storage tank 36 and/or the sub-hopper 64.The door-dump time duration may be based on which sensor(s) detect theparticulate material 86 when the switch is activated, while theparticulate material is loaded into the secondary storage tank 36 afterthe switch has been activated, and/or while the door-dump mode isactive. For example, the door-dump time duration may include a maximumor preset time in which the agitating system 44 is configured tooperate, such as when there is no particulate material detected in thesecondary storage tank 36 and the sub-hopper 64, to enable greaterdistribution of the particulate material. However, if one or moresensors detect particulate material, the door-dump time duration may beless than (e.g., a fraction of) the preset time, as will be furtherdescribed below. Thus, the agitating system 44 distributes theparticulate material throughout the secondary storage tank 36 and/or thesub-hopper 64 without placing undesirable stress on the agitating system44 or consuming an undesirable amount of energy to operate the agitatingsystem 44.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the profile of the particulate material 86causes each sensor 60 to detect the presence of the particulate material86 at the location of the sensor 60. Accordingly, the controller 80 maydetermine that the level of the profile of the particulate material 86is substantially even. When the level of the profile of the particulatematerial 86 is substantially even, the controller 80 may be configuredto operate the agitating system 44 in the agitation mode, such thatclumps of the particulate material 86 are effectively broken up withoutexcessive consumption of energy to operate the agitating system 44. Incertain embodiments, the agitation mode includes a first time durationthat is approximately equal to the second time duration. That is, thedrive system 72 drives the agitator 63 in the first direction 92 and thesecond direction 93 for approximately the same duration. As used herein,an approximately equal time duration may refer to a difference inrespective time durations within 1 second, 0.5 seconds, 0.1 seconds, ora smaller difference of time. The equal time in each direction 92, 93may not move the particulate material 86 toward a side of the secondarystorage tank 36 or sub-hopper 64 to maintain the profile of theparticulate material 86 along the longitudinal axis 58. As an example,the first time duration and the second time duration may each beapproximately 3 seconds to 7 seconds (e.g., 5 seconds), and the dwelltime may be approximately 60 seconds.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the material sensing andagitation control system 37 of FIG. 2 with particulate material 95disposed therein, in which the particulate material 95 has a profilewith a symmetrically uneven level. In the symmetrically uneven profile,the two outmost sensors 60A and 60C detect particulate material 95, butthe middle sensor 60B does not detect particulate material 95. In othersymmetrically uneven profiles, the middle sensor detects particulatematerial, but the two outside sensors do not detect particulatematerial. In embodiments of the particulate material sensing andagitation control system having more than three sensors, the controllermay identify a symmetrically uneven profile while the sensors detect aprofile that is uneven and not biased toward a one longitudinal side orthe other longitudinal side. By way of example, if the outmost sensorsdo not detect particulate material and at least one of the middlesensors does detect particulate material, the controller 80 may identifya symmetrically uneven profile. Additionally, if the outmost sensorsdetect particulate material and at least one of the middle sensors doesnot detect particulate material, the controller may also identify asymmetrically uneven profile.

When the level of the profile is symmetrically uneven, the controller 80may operate the agitating system 44 in a symmetric leveling mode. Thatis, the drive system 72 may operate the agitator 63 at an increasedoperation relative to the agitating mode in order to move theparticulate material 95 more in the longitudinal directions 88, 90.Operating the agitating system 44 may distribute the particulatematerial 95 more evenly throughout the secondary storage tank 36 and/orthe sub-hopper 64.

In some embodiments, the first time duration may be approximately equalto the second time duration, while the agitating system 44 is operatingin the symmetric leveling mode. However, the first time duration and thesecond time duration of the symmetric leveling mode may be greater thanthe first time duration and the second time duration of the agitationmode. For example, the symmetric leveling mode may have a first timeduration and second time duration that are each approximately 5 secondsto 15 seconds. Additionally, the dwell time of the symmetric levelingmode may be less than the dwell time of the agitation mode. In certainembodiments, the symmetric leveling mode may have a dwell time of 10seconds to 20 seconds. Accordingly, relative to the agitation mode, thesymmetric leveling mode causes the drive system 72 to rotate theagitator 63 for a longer aggregate duration, which may promote greatermovement of particulate material 95. The movement of particulatematerial 95 may level the profile of the particulate material 95 in thesecondary storage tank 36 and/or the sub-hopper 64 (e.g., such that allsensors 60 detect particulate material).

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system 37 of FIG. 2 with particulatematerial 96 disposed therein, in which a profile of the particulatematerial 96 is skewed to cover sensors 60 of a side of the particulatematerial sensing and agitation control system 37. In such profiles ofthe particulate material 96, the agitating system 44 may operate in aheavily biased leveling mode. With the illustrated profile of theparticulate material 96, the leftmost sensor 60A and the middle sensor60B detect particulate material 96, and the rightmost sensor 60C doesnot detect particulate material 96. Alternatively, the profile ofparticulate material may be arranged such that the rightmost sensordetects the particulate material, and the other two sensors do notdetect the particulate material. In embodiments having more than threesensors, the agitating system may operate in the heavily biased levelingmode when a majority of sensors positioned along a left or rightlongitudinal side of the secondary storage tank or the sub-hopperdetects particulate material, while the remaining sensors (e.g., thesensor positioned at a central position and along the other side of thesecondary storage tank or the sub-hopper) do not detect the particulatematerial. For example, in an embodiment of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system having ten sensors, the agitatingsystem may be configured to operate in the heavily biased leveling modewhen six to nine of the sensors detect particulate material, in whichsuch sensors are proximate to one another at a particular longitudinalside of the secondary storage tank or the sub-hopper.

While the agitating system 44 is operating in the heavily biasedleveling mode, the drive system 72 may rotate the agitator 63 to movethe particulate material 96 toward the longitudinal side of thesecondary storage tank 36 and/or the sub-hopper 64 having the sensor(s)60 that do not detect particulate material 96. To this end, the drivesystem 72 may operate the agitator 63 such that the first time durationis different than the second time duration. By way of example, if theleftmost sensor 60A does not detect particulate material 96, as seen inFIG. 5, the second time duration may be approximately 30 seconds to 60seconds, and the first time duration may be approximately 3 seconds to 7seconds. However, if the rightmost sensor does not detect particulatematerial 96, the first time duration may be approximately 30 seconds to60 seconds, and the second time duration may be approximately 3 secondsto 7 seconds. Thus, the difference between the first time duration andthe second time duration in the heavily biased leveling mode may be 23seconds to 57 seconds. Such a difference between the first time durationand the second time duration may cause the agitator 63 to move theparticulate material 96 toward one longitudinal side of the secondarystorage tank 36 and/or the sub-hopper 64, thereby leveling theparticulate material 96 and increasing the total number of sensors 60that detect particulate material. Moreover, the heavily biased levelingmode may avoid moving too much particulate material 96 such that certainsensors 60 no longer detect particulate material 96. In other words, theoperating mode of the agitating system 44 avoids moving particulatematerial 96 along the longitudinal axis 58 that would uncover one of thesensors 60 that was previously covered. Additionally, in certainembodiments, the dwell time of the heavily biased leveling mode may besimilar to the dwell time of the symmetric leveling mode (e.g., 10seconds to 20 seconds).

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system 37 of FIG. 2 with particulatematerial 97 disposed therein, in which a profile of the particulatematerial 97 is skewed to cover one sensor 60 on one side of theparticulate material sensing and agitation control system 37. In similarprofiles of the particulate material 97, agitating system 44 may operatein a moderately biased leveling mode. With the profile of theparticulate material 97 illustrated in FIG. 6, the rightmost sensor 60Cdetects particulate material 97, but the remaining sensors 60A and 60Bdo not detect particulate material 97. Alternatively, the profile of theparticulate material may be arranged such that the leftmost sensordetects particulate material, but the other two sensors do not detectparticulate material. Further still, in embodiments having more thanthree sensors, the agitating system may operate in the moderately biasedleveling mode when less than a majority (e.g., a minority) of sensorspositioned along a left or right longitudinal side of the secondarystorage tank and/or sub-hopper detect the particulate material, whilethe remaining sensors do not detect the particulate material. As anexample, if the particulate material sensing and agitation controlsystem has ten sensors, the agitating system may be configured tooperate in the moderately biased leveling mode when one to five of thesensors detect particulate material, in which such sensors are proximateto one another at a particular longitudinal side of the secondarystorage tank and/or sub-hopper.

While the agitating system 44 is operating in the moderately biasedleveling mode, the drive system 72 may rotate the agitator 63 to movethe particulate material 97 toward a longitudinal side of the secondarystorage tank 36 and/or sub-hopper 64. As with the heavily biasedleveling mode, during the moderately biased leveling mode, particulatematerial 97 may be moved toward the longitudinal side of the secondarystorage tank 36 and/or sub-hopper 64 having the sensors 60 that do notdetect particulate material 97. However, the profile of the particulatematerial 97 may be more sensitive relative to the profile of theparticulate material 96. That is, the profile of the particulatematerial 97 may be more affected by rotation of the agitator 63 relativeto the profile of the particulate material 96. As such, the particulatematerial 97 may be moved at a lower rate relative to the rate at whichthe particulate material 96 is moved. For example, the rotation speed orduration of the agitating system 44 during the moderately biasedleveling mode may be less than the rotation speed or duration of theagitating system 44 during the heavily biased leveling mode in order toavoid over-biasing the particulate material 97 such that a certainsensor(s) 60 no longer detect particulate material 97. Accordingly, thedifference between the first time duration and the second time durationfor the moderately biased leveling mode may be less than the differencebetween the first time duration and the second time duration for theheavily biased leveling mode. For instance, in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 5, in which the rightmost sensor 60C detectsparticulate material 97, the second time duration may be 12 seconds to30 seconds, the first time duration may be 3 seconds to 7 seconds, andthe dwell time may be 10 seconds to 20 seconds. When the leftmost sensor60 detects particulate material 97, the first time duration may be 12seconds to 30 seconds, the second time duration may be 3 seconds to 7seconds, and the dwell time may be 10 seconds to 20 seconds. Therefore,the difference between the first time duration and the second timeduration in the moderately biased leveling mode may be 5 seconds to 27seconds.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system 37 of FIG. 2 with particulatematerial 98 disposed therein, in which a profile of the particulatematerial 98 may not cover any of the sensors 60 of the particulatematerial sensing and agitation control system 37. That is, theparticulate material 98 may be distributed in between and/or below thesensors 60. In response to no sensors 60 detecting particulate material,the controller 80 may operate the agitating system 44 in either thesymmetric leveling mode or a slightly biased leveling mode based on aprevious operating mode of the agitating system 44. By way of example,if the previous operating mode is the moderately biased leveling mode(e.g., if the current profile of the particulate material 98 is achievedafter less than the majority of sensors 60 positioned along alongitudinal side of the particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system 37 detected the presence of particulate material 98), thecontroller 80 may operate the agitating system 44 in the slightly biasedleveling mode. For example, if the previous operating mode is themoderately biased leveling mode, the previous profile of the particulatematerial may have been skewed toward a longitudinal side of thesecondary storage tank 36 and/or sub-hopper 64, similar to the profileof the particulate material 97 of FIG. 6. As such, the current profileof the particulate material 98 may also still be generally skewed towardthe same longitudinal side of the secondary storage tank and/orsub-hopper 64. As a result, the controller 80 may operate the agitatingsystem 44 in the slightly biased leveling mode to move the particulatematerial 98 toward the longitudinal side that did not detect theparticulate material 98 (i.e., the side that the particulate material 98was not skewed) and level the profile of the particulate material 98.

In the slightly biased leveling mode, the difference between the firsttime duration and the second time duration is less than the differencebetween the first time duration and the second time duration of theheavily biased leveling mode and of the moderately biased leveling mode.For example, if the rightmost sensor 60C previously detected thepresence of the particulate material 98 and the remaining sensors 60A,60B did not detect the presence of the particulate material 98, thesecond time duration may be 7 seconds to 8 seconds, the first timeduration may be 9 seconds to 11 seconds, and the dwell time may be 10seconds to 20 seconds. As such, particulate material 98 is slightlymoved toward the sensors 60 that previously did not detect the presenceof particulate material 98, while avoiding biasing too much particulatematerial 98 away from the sensor 60 that previously did detect thepresence of particulate material 98. Likewise, if the leftmost sensor60A previously detected the presence of the particulate material 98 andthe remaining sensors 60B, 60C did not detect the presence of theparticulate material 98, the first time duration may be 7 seconds to 8seconds, the first time duration may be 9 seconds to 11 seconds, and thedwell time may be 10 seconds to 20 seconds. In this manner, thediscrepancy of the first time duration and the second time duration inthe slightly biased leveling mode may be between 1 second to 4 seconds.

If the previous operating mode is not the moderately biased operatingmode, the controller 80 may operate the agitating system 44 in thesymmetric leveling mode, in which the first time duration and the secondtime duration may each be substantially equal (e.g., within 1 second,0.5 seconds, 0.1 seconds). For example, the first and second timedurations may each be 5 seconds to 15 seconds, and the dwell time may be10 seconds to 20 seconds. As mentioned, if the agitating system 44 waspreviously operating in the moderately biased leveling mode, theprevious profile of the particulate material 98 may have been skewedtoward a longitudinal side of the secondary storage tank 36 and/or thesub-hopper 64. However, if the agitating system 44 was not previouslyoperating in the moderately biased leveling mode, the previous profileof the particulate material 98 may not have been skewed toward alongitudinal side of the secondary storage tank 36 and/or the sub-hopper64. For instance, the previous profile of the particulate material 98may have been similar to the profile of the particulate material 86 ofFIG. 3. As such, the controller 80 may operate the agitating system 44in the symmetric leveling mode to distribute particulate materialthroughout the secondary storage tank 36 and/or the sub-hopper 64 andlevel the profile of the particulate material 98.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a particulate materialsensing and agitation control system 37 having a control system 170. Incertain embodiments, the control system 170 includes a user interface172. The controller 80 may output signals to the user interface 172indicative of operation of the particulate material sensing andagitation control system 37. In the illustrated embodiment, the userinterface 172 includes a display 174, which may present visualinformation to an operator, such as a graph depicting operation of theparticulate material sensing and agitation control system 37. Based onthis display of information, the operator may manually operate theagricultural system 8, such as the agitating system 44. For example, inthe illustrated embodiment, the user interface 172 includes a userinteraction device 176, such as a touch screen, a button, a keyboard, amicrophone, a mousing device, a trackpad, and the like, to enable userinput. The user input may be associated with adjusting operation of theagricultural system 8, such as operation of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system 37.

In some embodiments, the operator may use the user interface 172 toadjust the operating mode of the agitating system. For example, theoperator may set the operating mode to a leveling mode, which mayoverride the operating mode determined by the controller 80 based onfeedback from the sensors 60, as discussed above. The operator may alsoenable or disable certain operating modes, such as the agitating mode,of any of the agitating systems to suspend operation of the particularagitating system. In additional or alternative embodiments, the operatormay control parameters associated with operation of the particulatematerial sensing and agitation control system 37. As an example, theoperator may use the user interface 172 to adjust a number of activesensors that provide feedback to the controller 80 for determination ofthe operating mode, set times for the leveling modes, or anotherparameter (e.g., dimensions of the sub-hopper or secondary storage tankto automatically update the set times for the operating modes). Furtherstill, the operator may use the user interface 172 to activate thedoor-dump mode and/or to adjust a parameter of the door-dump mode. Byway of example, the operator may adjust the preset door-dump time.

FIGS. 9-11 each illustrate an embodiment of a method to determine theoperating mode of the agitating system. In some embodiments, each methodmay be performed by a controller, such as the controller 80.Additionally, it should be understood that each illustrated method isnot an exclusive embodiment. In other words, additional steps ordifferent steps may be performed relative to the steps depicted in FIGS.9-11. For example, the steps of FIGS. 9-11 may be different for anembodiment of the particulate material sensing and agitation controlsystem implementing a different number and/or arrangement of sensorsthan discussed herein, and the steps may be performed in any suitableorder, such as the same or a different order shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 198 to control aparticulate material sensing and agitation control system while theparticulate material sensing and agitation control system is meteringparticulate material and all sensors of the particulate material sensingand agitation control system are functioning. At block 200, thecontroller determines a status of the metering system, which may includean active mode or an inactive mode. If the status of the metering systemis determined to be active, as indicated at block 202, then seed metersof the metering system are outputting particulate material to theprimary lines. In response to determining the metering system is active,the controller may determine a detection status of each sensor or,stated differently, which of the sensors of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system detects particulate material (block204).

At block 206, the detection of all three sensors is positive, meaningall three sensors detect particulate material. As a result, thecontroller operates the agitating system in the agitation mode (block208). For example, the drive system of the particulate material sensingand agitation control system may rotate the agitator in the firstdirection for approximately the same time duration as the drive systemrotates the agitator in the second direction (e.g., 5 seconds).Additionally, the drive system may suspend movement of the agitator ormaintain a position of the agitator for a dwell time (e.g., 60 seconds)between rotation in the first and second directions. The agitation modeagitates the particulate material to move from the secondary storagetank to the metering system while conserving power consumption tooperate the agitating system.

At block 210, not all sensors have a positive detection status anddetect particulate material. Therefore, the controller determines whichof the sensors, if any, detect particulate material, as shown at block212. As an example, each of the sensors may be communicatively coupledto the controller, in which each sensor may output the respectivedetection to the controller. The controller may then determine whichsensor(s) detect the particulate material and determine an operatingmode of the agitating system accordingly. For instance, the controllermay associate the detections with the respective sensor locations todetermine a profile of the particulate material and set the operatingmode based on the determined profile.

At block 214, the controller determines the detection of the outermostsensors is positive and the detection status of the middle sensor(s) isnegative. As a result, the controller operates the agitating system inthe symmetric leveling mode (block 216). At block 218, the controllerdetermines the detection status of the outermost sensors is negative andthe detection status of the middle sensor is positive. In response, thecontroller operates the agitating system in the symmetric leveling mode(block 220). In certain embodiments, the symmetric leveling mode ofblock 216 includes approximately the same operating parameters as thesymmetric leveling mode of block 220. For example, both symmetricleveling modes may have a first time duration that is approximately thesame as the second time duration (e.g., 8 seconds), and both symmetricleveling modes may have the same dwell time (e.g., 15 seconds). However,in additional or alternative embodiments, the symmetric leveling mode ofblock 216 may have a first time, second time, and/or dwell time that isdifferent than that of the symmetric leveling mode of block 220.

At block 222, the controller determines that the detection status of themiddle sensor and one of the outermost sensors is positive, and thedetection status of the remaining outermost sensor is negative. In theillustrated embodiment having three sensors, either only the leftmostsensor does not detect particulate material or only the rightmost sensordoes not detect particulate material. As a result, as shown at block224, the controller operates the agitating system in the heavily biasedleveling mode, in which the first time duration (e.g., 50 seconds) issubstantially different (e.g., greater) than the second time duration(e.g., 5 seconds), and the dwell time may be approximately similar tothe dwell time of the symmetric leveling mode (e.g., 15 seconds).

At block 226, the controller determines that the detection status of oneof the outermost sensors and of the middle sensor is negative,indicating that outermost sensor and the middle sensor does not detectparticulate material. That is, either only the rightmost sensor detectsparticulate material or only the leftmost sensor detects particulatematerial. In response to such a determination, the controller operatesthe agitating system in the moderately biased leveling mode (block 228).In the moderately biased leveling mode, the difference between the firsttime duration (e.g., 30 seconds) and the second time duration (e.g., 5seconds) may be less than the difference between the first time durationand the second time duration of the heavily biased leveling mode.Moreover, the dwell time of the moderately biased leveling mode may beapproximately the same as the respective dwell times of the heavilybiased leveling mode and the symmetric leveling mode (e.g., 15 seconds).

At block 230, the controller determines that the detection status of allof the sensors is negative. In response, the controller may determinewhich sensor(s) previously detected the particulate material. In theillustrated embodiment, the controller may determine if, previously,only one of the outermost sensors detected particulate material, and aremainder of the sensors did not detect particulate material (block232). For example, the controller may determine if the previousoperating mode of the agitating system is the moderately biased levelingmode.

At block 234, the controller determines that the previous operating modeof the agitating system is the moderately biased leveling mode (i.e.,only one of the outermost sensors detected particulate material, whilethe remaining sensors did not detect particulate material). Therefore,the controller operates the agitating system in the slightly biasedleveling mode (block 236). In the slightly biased leveling mode, thedifference between the first time duration (e.g., 10 seconds) and thesecond time duration (e.g., 8 seconds) may be less than the differencebetween the first time duration and the second time duration of both themoderately biased leveling mode and the heavily biased leveling mode.Additionally, the dwell time of the slightly biased leveling mode may beapproximately the same as the respective dwell times of the moderatelybiased leveling mode, the heavily biased leveling mode, and thesymmetric leveling mode (e.g., 15 seconds).

At block 238, the controller determines that the previous operating modeof the agitating system is not the moderately biased leveling mode(i.e., a different configuration of sensors than only one of theoutermost sensors detected particulate material). Accordingly, thecontroller may operate the agitating system in the symmetric levelingmode (block 240). In certain embodiments, the symmetric leveling mode ofblock 240 may include the same first time duration, second timeduration, and dwell time as the symmetric leveling mode of block 220and/or the symmetric leveling mode of block 216. In additional oralternative embodiments, the symmetric leveling mode of block 240 mayhave a different first time duration, second time duration, and/or dwelltime relative to the symmetric leveling mode of block 220 and/or thesymmetric leveling mode of block 216.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 248 to control aparticulate material sensing and agitation control system while theparticulate material sensing and agitation control system is meteringparticulate material and not all sensors of the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system are functioning. In some instances,one or more sensors may be disabled (e.g., by the operator). In otherinstances, one or more sensors may be flagged as faulty, such as due toproviding false readings. When non-functioning sensors are present, thecontroller may not completely determine the profile of the particulatematerial based on feedback from the sensors.

The method 248 may be considered a backup process that the controllermay perform when one or more sensors are non-operational to avoidundesirable distribution of particulate material within the secondarystorage tank and/or sub-hopper. Generally, the controller selects anoperating mode of the agitating system that would substantially reducethe possibility that one or more sensors no longer detect particulatematerial. Furthermore, the selected operating mode may reduce thepossibility of excessive consumption of energy. For instance, at theselected operating mode, excessive consumption of energy may be avoidedto operate the agitating system and move the particulate material in thesecondary storage tank and/or the sub-hopper at a greater rate thandesired based on the possible profile of the particulate material. As anexample, the controller may determine the possible operating modesassociated with the non-functioning sensor(s) detecting particulatematerial and the non-functioning sensor(s) not detecting particulatematerial. From the possible operating modes, the controller may selectthe most conservative operating mode. Alternatively, the controller mayselect the least conservative operating mode, and may adjust theoperating mode dynamically based on feedback from the sensors. As usedherein, the most conservative operating mode refers to the operatingmode that moves particulate material the least. In some embodiments, theorder of operating modes from most conservative to least conservativeincludes the agitation mode, the symmetric leveling mode, the slightlybiased leveling mode, the moderately biased leveling mode, and theheavily biased leveling mode. By way of example, the controller mayinitially drive the particulate material toward a longitudinal side ofthe secondary storage tank or sub-hoper at which one or more sensors donot detect the particulate material. However, after a certain timeduration, if the same sensors still do not detect particulate material,the controller may switch to a different operating mode (e.g., thesymmetric leveling mode). In this manner, the method 248 causes thecontroller to select an operating mode of the agitating system based onthe functional status of each sensor, the detection status of eachsensor, and the position of each sensor within the agricultural system.

At block 250, the functional status of one sensor is non-functioning,while the detection status of the remaining sensors is positive. As aresult, the controller operates the agitating system in the agitationmode (block 252). Thus, the particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system does not significantly adjust the level or profile of theparticulate material within the secondary storage tank or sub-hopper.For example, if the non-functioning sensor would have detectedparticulate material, operating the agitating system in any other modemay needlessly move particulate material within the secondary storagetank and/or the sub-hopper.

At block 254, the functional status of one sensor is non-functioning,while the detection status of the remaining sensors is negative. Inresponse, the controller operates the agitating system in the symmetricleveling mode (block 256). If the non-functioning sensor would havedetected particulate material (e.g., at block 230 of method 198), thepossible operating modes include the slightly biased leveling mode andthe symmetric leveling mode. Moreover, if the non-functioning sensorwould have detected particulate material (e.g., at block 218 or block226 of method 198), the possible operating modes include the symmetricleveling mode and the moderately biased leveling mode. As a result, thecontroller operates the agitating system in the symmetric leveling mode,which is the most conservative operating mode of the possible operatingmodes.

At block 258, the functional status of the middle sensor isnon-functioning, while the detection status of one outermost sensor ispositive and the detection status of the other outermost sensor isnegative. In response, the controller may operate the agitating systemin the slightly biased leveling mode (block 260). Regardless of whetherthe profile of the particulate material would have caused the middlesensor to detect the particulate material, the profile of theparticulate material is skewed toward one longitudinal side of thesecondary storage tank and/or sub-hopper. As such, the controller mayoperate the agitating system to move particulate material toward thesecondary storage tank and/or sub-hopper. However, to avoid moving toomuch particulate material and/or moving particulate material tooquickly, the controller may operate the agitating system in the slightlybiased leveling mode.

At block 262, the functional status of one of the outmost sensors isnon-functioning, and the detection status of the remaining sensorsalternate between positive and negative. In response, the controller isconfigured to operate the agitating system in the symmetric levelingmode (block 264). Accordingly, the agitating system avoids movingparticulate material toward a particular side of the secondary storagetank and/or sub-hopper, and the agitating system still moves a portionof the particulate material to level the profile of the particulatematerial.

At block 266, the functional status of more than one sensor isnon-functioning. In response, at block 268, the controller operates theagitating system in the agitation mode. That is, since more than onesensor is not functioning, the controller may not be able to determinedetails of the profile. As such, the controller may operate theagitating system to avoid changing the profile of the particulatematerial.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 280 to control aparticulate material sensing and agitation control system to operate ina door-dump mode. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the particulate materialsensing and agitation control system is configured to operate in thedoor-dump mode while the particulate material is not metered. However,in some embodiments, the particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system is configured to operate the door-dump mode while theparticulate material is metered. At block 200, the controller determinesthe status of the metering system. If the status of metering system isinactive, as shown at block 282, particulate material may not be meteredthrough the agricultural system. In response, the controller maydetermine if a door-dump switch of the agricultural system is activated(block 284). If the status of the metering system is active, thecontroller may not determine if the door-dump switch is activated, and,therefore, the controller may not operate the agitation system in thedoor-dump mode while the metering system is active. In some embodiments,the door-dump switch may be a device (e.g., lever switch, pushbutton)that may be manually activated or deactivated by the operator. Inadditional or alternative embodiments, the door-dump switch may be asetting adjustable by the controller and/or by the operator (e.g., viathe user interface).

At block 286, the controller determines the door-dump switch is notactivated. For example, operation of the agricultural system may besuspended. If the controller determines the door-dump switch is notactivated, at block 288, the controller may not operate the door-dumpmode.

At block 290, the controller determines the door-dump switch isactivated and thus, the controller may proceed to determine a door-dumptime duration in which to operate the agitating system in the door-dumpmode. In certain embodiments, the controller may also determine if thedrive system is energized. That is, the controller may determine if thedrive system is currently moving (e.g., rotating) the agitator. In somecases, the controller may de-energize or suspend operation of the drivesystem such that the agitator is no longer moving prior to determiningthe door-dump time duration in which to operate the agitating system.

At block 300, the controller determines if any sensors detectparticulate material. In other words, the controller determines if anyparticulate material may remain in the secondary storage tank. If thecontroller determines that more than one sensor detects particulatematerial, as shown at block 302, the controller may operate thedoor-dump mode at a fraction of the preset door-dump time. In certainembodiments, the controller may operate the agitating system in thedoor-dump mode for ⅛ of the preset door-dump time (block 304), such as 5seconds to 25 seconds. In certain embodiments, the controller may beconfigured to operate the agitating system in the door-dump mode for afraction of the preset door-dump time based on the number of sensorsthat detect particulate material. As an example, if the controllerdetermines that two sensors detect particulate material, the controllermay operate the agitating system in the door-dump mode for to ⅕ to ¼ ofthe preset door-dump time. In another example, if the controllerdetermines that three sensors detect particulate material, thecontroller may operate the agitating system in the door-dump mode for1/10 to ⅕ of the preset door-dump time.

At block 306, the controller determines that one sensor at most detectsparticulate material. As a result, the controller may determine if anyof the sensors are non-functioning (block 308). At block 310, thecontroller determines that at least one of the sensors arenon-functioning. Thus, the controller may operate the agitating systemin the door-dump mode for a different fraction of the preset door-dumptime (block 312). In particular embodiments, the controller may operatethe agitating system in the door-dump mode for a time duration greaterthan the time duration at block 304 for determining that more than onesensor detects particulate material, but the time duration may still beless than the entire preset door-dump time. For example, the controllermay operate the agitating system in the door-dump mode for ½ of thepreset door-dump time, such as 20 seconds to 100 seconds. In additionalor alternative embodiments, the controller may be configured to operatethe agitating system in the door-dump mode for a time duration based onthe number of sensors that are non-functioning. By way of example, ifthe controller determines one sensor is non-functioning, the controllermay operate the door-dump mode for ¾ to ⅘ of the preset door-dump time.However, if the controller determines two sensors are non-functioning,the controller may operate the door-dump mode for ½ to ⅗ of the presetdoor-dump time.

At block 314, the controller determines that none of the sensors arenon-functioning. That is, the controller may have positively determinedthat little or no particulate material remains in the secondary storagetank. For this reason, the controller may operate the agitating systemfor the entire preset door-dump time, which may be 40 seconds to 200seconds (block 316). Accordingly, the controller enables the loadedparticulate material to be distributed across the secondary storage tankand/or the sub-hopper.

While only certain features of the disclosure have been illustrated anddescribed herein, many modifications and changes will occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fallwithin the true spirit of the disclosure.

The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and appliedto material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature thatdemonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are notabstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claimsappended to the end of this specification contain one or more elementsdesignated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for[perform]ing [a function] . . . ”, it is intended that such elements areto be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claimscontaining elements designated in any other manner, it is intended thatsuch elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

1. A particulate material sensing and agitation control system of anagricultural system, comprising: a drive system configured to operate anagitating system; and a controller comprising a memory and a processor,wherein the controller is configured to: receive at least one sensorsignal indicative of a profile of a particulate material within theagricultural system; and output a control signal to instruct the drivesystem to operate the agitating system in a selected operating mode of aplurality of operating modes based on the profile of the particulatematerial, wherein the agitating system is configured to interact withthe particulate material in each operating mode of the plurality ofoperating modes, and the plurality of operating modes comprises anagitation mode and a leveling mode.
 2. The particulate material sensingand agitation control system of claim 1, wherein the leveling mode is asymmetric leveling mode, a heavily biased leveling mode, a moderatelybiased leveling mode, a slightly biased leveling mode, or anycombination thereof.
 3. The particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system of claim 2, wherein the agitating system comprises anagitator, each operating mode of the plurality of operating modescomprises a first time, a first dwell time, a second time, and a seconddwell time, and the drive system is configured to rotate the agitator ina first rotational direction for the first time, maintain a position ofthe agitator for the first dwell time, rotate the agitator in a secondrotational direction for the second time, and maintain another positionof the agitator for the second dwell time.
 4. The particulate materialsensing and agitation control system of claim 3, wherein the agitationmode comprises an approximately equal first time and second time, thesymmetric leveling mode comprises an approximately equal first time andsecond time, the heavily biased leveling mode comprises a firstdifference between the first time and the second time of 23 seconds to57 seconds, the moderately biased leveling mode comprises a seconddifference between the first time and the second time of 5 seconds to 27seconds, and the slightly biased leveling mode comprises a thirddifference between the first time and the second time of 1 second to 4seconds.
 5. The particulate material sensing and agitation controlsystem of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determinewhether a metering system of the agricultural system is active, and, inresponse to determining the metering system is active, the controller isconfigured to output the control signal to instruct the drive system tooperate the agitating system in the selected operating mode of theplurality of operating modes.
 6. The particulate material sensing andagitation control system of claim 5, wherein, in response to determiningthe metering system is not active, the controller is configured tooutput an additional signal to instruct the drive system to operate theagitating system in a door-dump mode.
 7. The particulate materialsensing and agitation control system of claim 6, wherein the additionalsignal instructs the drive system to operate the agitating system in thedoor-dump mode for a time duration based on the profile of theparticulate material.
 8. At least one non-transitory computer readablemedium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by aprocessor, are configured to cause the processor to: receive at leastone sensor signal from a plurality of sensors indicative of a profile ofa particulate material within an agricultural system; and output acontrol signal to instruct a drive system to operate an agitating systemin a selected operating mode of a plurality of operating modes based onthe profile of the particulate material, wherein the agitating system isconfigured to interact with the particulate material in each operatingmode of the plurality of operating modes.
 9. The at least onenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein executableinstructions are configured to cause the processor to select anagitation mode as the selected operating mode in response to receivingthe at least one sensor signal indicating that each sensor of theplurality of sensors detects the particulate material.
 10. The at leastone non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein theexecutable instructions are configured to cause the processor to selecta symmetric operating mode as the selected operating mode in response toreceiving the at least one sensor signal indicating that outermostsensors of the plurality of sensors detect the particulate material anda middle sensor of the plurality of sensors does not detect theparticulate material, or that the outermost sensors do not detect theparticulate material and the middle sensor detects the particulatematerial.
 11. The at least one non-transitory computer readable mediumof claim 8, wherein the executable instructions are configured to causethe processor to select a heavily biased operating mode as the selectedoperating mode in response to receiving the at least one sensor signalindicating that a middle sensor detects the particulate material, thatone or more sensors of a first side of the middle sensor detect theparticulate material, and that one or more sensors of a second side ofthe middle sensor do not detect the particulate material.
 12. The atleast one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, whereinthe executable instructions are configured to cause the processor toselect a moderately biased operating mode as the selected operating modein response to receiving the at least one sensor signal indicating thata middle sensor does not detect the particulate material, that one ormore sensors of a first side of the middle sensor detect the particulatematerial, and that one or more sensors of a second side of the middlesensor do not detect the particulate material.
 13. The at least onenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein theexecutable instructions are configured to cause the processor todetermine whether a previous selected operating mode is a moderatelybiased leveling mode in response to receiving the at least one sensorsignal indicating that none of the sensors of the plurality of sensorsdetect the particulate material, and the executable instructions areconfigured to cause the processor to select a slightly biased levelingmode as the selected operating mode in response to determining theprevious selected operating mode is the moderately biased leveling mode.14. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim13, wherein the executable instructions are configured to cause theprocessor to select a symmetric leveling mode as the selected operatingmode in response to determining that the previous operating mode of theagitating system is not the moderately biased leveling mode.
 15. Aparticulate material sensing and agitation control system of anagricultural system, comprising: a drive system configured to operate anagitating system; a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor of theplurality of sensors is configured to detect presence of particulatematerial in a section of a storage tank of the agricultural system; anda controller comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the controlleris configured to: receive at least one sensor signal from the pluralityof sensors indicative of a profile of the particulate material withinthe storage tank; and output a control signal to instruct the drivesystem to operate the agitating system in a selected operating mode of aplurality of operating modes based on the profile of the particulatematerial, wherein the agitating system is configured to interact withthe particulate material in each operating mode of the plurality ofoperating modes, and the plurality of operating modes comprises anagitation mode and a leveling mode.
 16. The particulate material sensingand agitation control system of claim 15, wherein the leveling mode is asymmetric leveling mode, a heavily biased leveling mode, a moderatelybiased leveling mode, a slightly biased leveling mode, or anycombination thereof.
 17. The particulate material sensing and agitationcontrol system of claim 16, wherein the agitating system comprises anagitator, each operating mode of the plurality of operating modescomprises a first time, a first dwell time, a second time, and a seconddwell time, and the drive system is configured to rotate the agitator ina first rotational direction for the first time, maintain a position ofthe agitator for the first dwell time, rotate the agitator in a secondrotational direction for the second time, and maintain another positionof the agitator for the second dwell time.
 18. The particulate materialsensing and agitation control system of claim 17, wherein the agitationmode comprises an approximately equal first time and second time, thesymmetric leveling mode comprises an approximately equal first time andsecond time, the heavily biased leveling mode comprises a firstdifference between the first time and the second time, the moderatelybiased leveling mode comprises a second difference between the firsttime and the second time, and the slightly biased leveling modecomprises a third difference between the first time and the second time,wherein the first difference is greater than the second difference, andthe second difference is greater than the third difference.
 19. Theparticulate material sensing and agitation control system of claim ofclaim 18, wherein the agitation mode comprises an approximately equalfirst time and a second time, and the symmetric leveling mode comprisesanother approximately equal first time and a second time, wherein thefirst time and the second time of the agitation mode are each greaterthan the first time and the second time of the symmetric leveling mode.20. The particulate material sensing and agitation control system ofclaim of claim 17, wherein the respective first dwell times and seconddwell times of the symmetric leveling mode, the heavily biased levelingmode, the moderately biased leveling mode, and the slightly biasedleveling mode each comprise approximately the same leveling dwell time,and the first dwell time and the second dwell time of the agitation modeeach comprises an agitation dwell time, wherein the agitation dwell timeis greater than the leveling dwell time.